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DANBURY, CONN. — A funeral service for Ana Grace Márquez-Greene, 6, one of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, will be held on Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012, in Bloomfield, Conn.

A Homegoing Celebration will begin at noon at The First Cathedral, 1151 Blue Hills Ave., Bloomfield, Conn. The visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon prior to the service at the church. Burial will be private.

In addition,
friends have set up a fund to support the Marquez-Greene family at www.anagracefund.com.

Ana is survived by her father, Jimmy Greene, a jazz saxophonist and an assistant professor of music at Western Connecticut State University; her mother, Nelba Márquez-Greene, program coordinator for the Family Therapy Institute at Klingberg Family Centers and Central Connecticut State University adjunct faculty; and her brother Isaiah, a happy, intelligent and musical boy who loves hockey and very much misses his sister. She will be missed dearly by her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and scores of friends.

Her parents said Ana’s love for singing was evident before she was even able to talk. In a musical family, her gift for melody, pitch and rhythm stood out remarkably. And she never walked anywhere — her mode of transportation was dance. She danced from room to room and place to place. She danced to all the music she heard, whether in the air or in her head. Ana loved her God, loved to read the Bible and loved to sing and dance as acts of worship. “We ask that you pray for the legions of people who are left behind to cherish memories of her.”

Nelba Márquez-Greene said she hopes the tragedy of the school shooting will bring a greater awareness to mental health issues and to reduce the stigma attached to those with mental illness, perhaps preventing tragedies like the one that took Ana’s life. Information on how those with mental illness can get help can be found at www.aamft.org.

Cards for the Márquez-Greene family may be sent to WCSU, Department of Music, 181 White St., Danbury, CT 06810 or to Klingberg Family Centers at 370 Linwood St., New Britain, CT 06052.

The family is not granting interviews at this time. Requests for information from U.S. and all Spanish-language media may be made to Paul Steinmetz at steinmetzp@wcsu.edu or (203) 837-9805. Media in Canada may email rememberinganacanada@gmail.com.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.